Monorail conveyor systems

Claim 1

A CONVEYOR COMPRISING A TRACK, A CARRIER MOVABLE ON AND GUIDED BY THE TRACK, CONNECTING MEANS ON THE CARRIER FOR CONNECTING IT TO A SUPPORTING MEMBER OF A LOAD, AT LEAST ONE LOAD RELEASE MEANS MOUNTED ADJACENT SAID TRACK AND ADAPTED TO AUTOMATICALLY ENGAGE AND REMOVE THE SUPPORTING MEMBER FROM SAID CONNECTING MEANS WHEN THE CARRIER MOVES PAST SAID LOAD RELEASE MEANS ON SAID TRACK, SAID LOAD RELEAESE MEANS BEING MOVABLY CONNECTED TO SAID TRACK WHEREBY IT MAY BE SELECTIVELY MOVED INTO AND OUT OF THE PATH OF MOVEMENT OF SAID LOAD SUPPORTING MEMBER SO THAT SAID LOAD MAY BE SELECTIVELY DISCONNECTED FROM SAID CONNECTING MEANS OR PERMITTED TO MOVE PAST SAID LOAD RELEASE MEANS WITHOUT BEING DISCONNECTED FROM SAID CONNECTING MEANS, SAID CONNECTING MEANS COMPRISING A HOOK FOR EXTENDING UNDER SAID SUPPORTING MEMBER AND SAID LOAD RELEASE MEANS COMPRISING AN ARM PIVOTALLY CONNECTED TO SAID TRACK AND EXTENDING DIAGONALLY TO THE PATH OF MOVEMENT OF SAID CARRIER WHEN IN LOAD RELEASE POSITION, SAID TRACK DEFINING AN ENDLESS PATH, A FIRST PORTION OF SAID TRACK BEING ELEVATED AND INCLUDING SUPPORTL MEANS FOR CONNECTING IT TO THE ROOF OR CEILING OF A BUILDING, A SECOND PORTION EXTENDING DOWNWARDLY FROM SAID FIRST PORTION AND CONNECTED AT ITS LOWER END TO A TRACK LOADING PORTION, A ROTATABLE MEANS, AN ENDLESS FLEXIBLE MEMBER ENTRAINED AROUND SAID ROTATABLE MEANS, DRIVE MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID ROTATABLE MEANS FOR MOVING ONE PART OF SAID FLEXIBLE MEMBER FROM SAID LOADING PORTION TO THE UPPER END OF SAID SECOND PORTION, CONNECTOR MEANS ON SAID FLEXIBLE MEMBER ADAPTED TO ENGAGE SAID CARRIER AND MOVE IT FROM SAID LOADING PORTION TO THE UPPER END OF SID SECOND PORTION WHEREBY THE CARRIER AND FLEXIBLE MEANS AUTOMATICALLY DISCONNECT AT THE TOP OF SAID SECOND PORTION, SAID FIRST PORTION SLOPING DOWNWARDLY FROM THE UPPER END OF SAID SECOND PORTION WHEREBY THE CARRIER AND ITS LOAD ARE MOVED BY GRAVITY TO SAID HOOK, SAID CONNECTOR MEANS COMPRISING A DRIVING LUG PIVOTALLY CONNECTED TO SAID FLEXIBLE MEMBER AND A PROJECTION ON SAID CARRIER DRIVINGLY ENGAGED BY SAID LUG, SAID PROJECTION INCLUDING A SUPPORT PLATE EXTENDING UNDER SAID LUG AND SUPPORTING AND PREVENTING SAGGING OF SAID FLEXIBLE MEMBER.